The purpose of this application is to request funding for registration, room and board, and travel expenses of students and postdoctoral fellows who will be attending the "Gordon Research Conference on Staphylococcal Diseases," which will be held from August 12 through August 17,2001, at Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island. The emphasis of this conference is on the biology of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci; pathogenesis of diseases caused by staphylococci; and recent advances in basic, applied, and clinical research that bear on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of staphylococcal disease. This conference, now in its twelfth year, is the premier meeting in the field, attracting basic researchers and clinical researchers from both academia and industry. The conference is valued for high quality of the science, state-of- the-art knowledge, a collegial environment that encourages close interactions, and the opportunity for new and productive collaborations. Nine scientific sessions are planned to cover topics in genomics, gene regulation, novel preventative and treatment strategies, antimicrobial resistance, surface protein structure and function, microbial stress response and virulence. There will be daily poster sessions with a special session for oral presentations by selected young investigators with the best posters. For the first time there will be a late-breaker session to allow for scheduling flexibility and to assure a forum for presentation of the latest information, which can be a shortcoming of meetings that are planned a year in advance. Based on past experience, the meeting will have broad international representation, with a third of the speakers and discussion leaders from Europe and Asia. This will afford a unique and rich opportunity for fellowship and scientific exchange between young and established investigators in the field.